Neuqua Valley pitcher Ian Krol suspended for season

Matt LynchTribune reporter

Neuqua Valley standout senior pitcher Ian Krol will not be playing this season after being suspended by the school, his mother confirmed Saturday.

"He was devastated," Gina Krol said of his reaction to the news, which he first received Thursday evening after principal Bob McBride declined an appeal of the decision. "Playing for Neuqua Valley was a big part of his life. Those coaches and those boys on the team are very important to him, and he's disappointed that he won't be there with them to help them win baseball games."

Krol, the 26th ranked high school player in the nation according to Baseball America, has been projected as an early-round pick in the 2009 MLB amateur draft.

His mother said Ian had not been drinking but was found in the presence of alcohol, which constituted his second violation of the District 204 athletic code of conduct.

"We may not necessarily agree with the result," she said. "But that athletic policy that Ian signed when he tried out for the team is broadly written, and I understand how the administration came to the decision."

She said Krol acknowledged his role in the incident, which took place earlier this month.

"He admitted that he made a mistake," she said. "He admitted he was in the presence of alcohol. But this incident is not going to define Ian's character.

According to his mother, Krol called coach Andy Lopez at the University of Arizona, where he has committed to play baseball in the fall, shortly after receiving the news.

"He felt it was the right thing to do to be proactive and make them aware of the situation," Gina Krol said.

A 6-foot-1 lefty with excellent command, Krol helped lead the Wildcats to a Class AA state title in 2007 as a sophomore. Last season he went 9-1 with a 0.94 ERA, tossing three no-hitters, including a perfect game, as Neuqua Valley finished third in Class 4A.